♣♥♠ Corridor R-95 TREN PATAGONICO © STRETCH 2; THE STEPPE. San Antonio Oeste RN → Ing. Jacobacci RN

Comes from STRETCH 1. THE ROUTE On Stretch 2 trains start a clim, crossing the famous Somuncurá Steppe. Normally this part is crossed during the night. Trains stops only in some stations. Valcheta is the first stop. Station still has a Far South style corrugated iron passenger building. In the place exists a strange petrified forest and a river with warm water. Ministro Exequiel Ramos Mexía is a point in middle of nothing. Sierra Colorada means Red Mountain. The Red Saw name was imposed because there exists two red truncated mountains at the sideline. The place is very similar to those of the wild northamerican Far West, but well, this is the Far South. Los Menucos is a traditional adventure tourism base. Here many special tours throught the steppe starts. The station has a new passenger buildind built in a traditional modern rationalist style. Maquinchao is the coldest place in the continent. -20ºC degrees are normal in winter here, and the record was -40ºC. Finally Ing. Jacobacci is the last station of this stretch, and the most interesant also, because is the base of the legendary LA TROCHITA Steam Railway. In this place the tourist can see two different railways, with different scales and siezes, and technologies sharing the same freight yard. The Diesel Railway in broad gauge, (1.676mm) and the Steam one in Industrial Gauge, (750mm) In fact this is a very requested point to take photos, as jacobacci is a Steam Railway station preserved and never modernized. Follows on Stretch 3. http://es.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=1690207